Music Thread

I discovered a band yesterday and I really enjoyed everything about the music. I liked the vocals. The problem is the lyrics are very questionable. Very questionable.

Would you listen to a band/artist who either has deplorable views and discusses them in the lyrics, or just has deplorable views full stop?

 

Racist? Sexist? Homophobic? All three?

 

Wednesday fans?

 

No it’d be obvious not to listen to those.

 

Anti-Semitic mainly.

 

I’d probably have issues listening to any lyrics that were overtly racist

 

There may be members of bands I like who have deplorable views for all I know. I'm pretty sure they're not all fine upstanding members of society. And I don't feel the need to find out what they're like as people to enjoy their music. But if it's actually in the lyrics, that's different. To use your example, I wouldn't listen to a song expressing an anti-Semitic view point.

 

I think I can just about filter it out these days. In my experience, I've liked bands who've said nothing offensive then suddenly thrown something in which makes me a bit uneasy, like the Stranglers, or Siouxsie and the Banshees or the Prodigy, but then I still go back to them from time to time because the body of their work is of high quality.

For example, I'm nearly 50, and surprisingly think this tune is great - but probably because I've lived through punk etc., and have seen all the shock tactics that artists use to sell records.
So I don't worry too much about it.

 

I think it'd taint it too much for me to be honest. We can never really know what a song is about but anything overtly racist I think I'd struggle with.

Saying that, i do like a lot of hip hop such as Asap Rocky who regularly refers to women as bitches etc. Think that's more representative of US hip hop in general though.

 

I play a lot of reggae at parties & often the lyrics are difficult to discern. Buju Banto & the likes are known for having homophobic views.
Hip hop it's usually pretty clear what is being said, as is punk, another genre that has been used spread racist propaganda, with bands like Skrewdriver. I avoid playing anything I consider dodgy. Bad language is another thing entirely, that doesn't really bother me personally. There are clean versions of most songs, like Gold Digger, 212, etc, so usually opt for those to avoid offence.

 

Would you say that if you listen to music with a racist message you're condoning their views even if you don't share them?

 

I think hip hop is inherently misogynistic and racist. I don't appreciate that style of music but if I did i would have the same conundrum as the band I am referring to in my OP.

 

Im mostly into rock and indie and tend to listen more to instrumental hip hop, but mostly like hip hop for the beats rather than the lyrics.

 

In the early 1970s Blue Mink released Melting Pot, a song about ending racism by mixing the different races. It included the line “Curly black and kinky, mixed with yellow chinky”. Acceptable in it’s day but does the end justify the means today?

 

Definitely not.

 

I like the Smiths, but am struugling to listen to them (after 30 years) with Morrissey advocating a racist viewpoint now. The onlu album I've ever deleted from my iPod was Lost Prophets after the singers conviction (see also G Glitter).

Anti-semitic as in "all jews must die" or as in "the state of Israel should perhaps be less murdery towards Arabs"?

 

Depends on your definition of questionable...

 

I don't know. I guess if you buy their music you're endorsing the message and sort of sponsoring them to make more of the same by providing them with funds.

I wouldn't do it Conan, but neither am I going to point the finger at you and judge you if you decide to. It's your call.

 

I've thought about this a lot. If there was an overtly racist message in the lyrics of The Smiths then I wouldn't listen to them. But I struggle to find one.

I've heard and read a lot about Panic and how it's anti-black music. That's never what it meant to me. It's anti Stock Aitken and Waterman, anti Pop drivel. It's elitist and snobbish but when I was younger I thought music really mattered and I was elitist and snobbish. It's the original indie anthem.

I don't like Morrisey. He comes out wit the biggest load of offensive sh*te. But I like a lot of the music he made.

 

Rock Against Racism. I didn't dream that entire chapter in music history, did I?